An evening dedicated to special achievements

Thirty-two students at Furtwangen University (HFU) received a very special “boost for the future” with the award of special prizes and scholarships. Whether it was a Germany Scholarship or an award from the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), for a thesis or social commitment – “at HFU, we have many students who inspire us with their outstanding achievements,” said HFU President Dr. Alexandra Bormann in her opening speech.

Bormann emphasised the importance of close ties to companies, for which HFU is particularly well known. “Someone once said to me, ‘No road is long with a friend by your side.’ This quote fits perfectly with this evening, because we can provide our students with good contacts at a very early stage.” This is particularly evident in the large number of Germany Scholarships, with which sponsors reward special achievements.

Alexandra Bormann wore the university's new chain of office for the festive occasion. “The chain links represent the strong cohesion and mutual trust that the university, our students, industry, and society have in each other. Just like the chain links, together they form a great whole.”

Prof. Dr.-Ing. Hans-Georg Enkler, Vice-President for Learning and Diversity, moderated the evening and, in view of the “many creative minds” present, used the term “future euphoria”, originally coined by HFU professor Dr. Stefan Selke, “I see the future of the university here; this is where the innovations of the coming years will begin.”

Prof. Dr.-Ing. Katja Gutsche, Executive Board Representative for Germany Scholarships, provided insight into the more than ten years of networking work that has resulted in 21 particularly high-achieving students receiving support this year. “This is how we promote excellence!” said Gutsche enthusiastically. With a Germany Scholarship, companies, associations, and private individuals support special commitment with a monthly allowance to allow students to focus specifically on their studies.

The DAAD prize was presented by  Prof. Dr.-Ing. Jörg Friedrich and Brigitte Minderlein, Head of the HFU International Center to Mohamed Aziz Helaoui, a Mechanical Engineering and Mechatronics student from Tunisia. Three students received the ProHFU sponsorship association prize from Dr. Thomas Koepfer for their outstanding social commitment. Marian Walter, Damian Geiger, and Pia Maja Burkart are “a great support to the student body, always helpful, reliable, and highly committed,” said Prof. Enkler.

Outstanding theses were also honoured during the ceremony. Dr. Matthias Henke from AESCULAP presented awards to Andreas Disch (Computer Science) and Clemens Sailer (Innovation Engineering) for their outstanding master's theses. Sailer presented his work on the automation of surgical procedures using high-precision robotics and AI.

Marit Luise Zenker (Computer Science in Media) and Rouven Bleich (Computer Science) received the Gisela and Erwin Sick Foundation Award for their bachelor's theses. The chairman of the foundation, Prof. Jürgen Werner, also presented the award to Janine Stang (Human Factors). In her master's thesis, she had dealt with the collaboration between humans and robots.

Sebastian Otto, Managing Director of EGT, presented the Friedrich von Schoen Innovation Award to Philipp Müller (Applied Materials Science) for his master's thesis. The graduate humorously summed up that it was “ambitious, charming but unrealistic” to present his topic, “Electrical and surface analytical characterization of precious metal-doped titanium dioxide electrodes”, in three minutes.

During the evening, the HFU Teaching Prize was also presented, with which the university emphasises the central importance of good teaching. Prof. Dr. Dieter Schell was honoured for his course “Mathematics 1,” and Serah Jung won with “Writing for Interactive Media.” “Our students value communication on an equal footing, a positive learning atmosphere and a high level of commitment, regardless of the subject,” said Hans-Georg Enkler, explaining the decision of the internal and external jury, which selected the winners from the students' nominations.

The event was accompanied by music from Sabine Kienzler on the piano. During the subsequent exchange, company representatives and students also took the opportunity to meet Andreas Friedrich, the new Head of Administration of the university.

The following students were awarded the Germany Scholarship:

• Babtec Informationssysteme GmbH: Tobias Weigold (Business Information Systems – Business Data Science)
• Bildungswerk Philip Jakob Wieland: Benedikt Hambsch (Medical Engineering – Clinical Technologies)
• Dr. Winkler Foundation: Johanna Tresp (Human Factors) and Melina Blum (Applied Materials Science)
• Endress + Hauser Deutschland GmbH + Co. KG: Kevin Walter (Business Administration and Engineering – Marketing and Sales) and Moreno Colucci (Business Administration and Engineering – Marketing and Sales)
• Gewerbeverband Oberzentrum e.V.: Naomi Teresa Massonet (Medical Engineering – Clinical Technologies) and Karla Fritzen (Molecular and Technical Medicine)
• Huonker GmbH: Karina Staiger (Medical Engineering – Technologies and Development Processes)
• International Business Alumni Association e.V.: Luna Cecille Noll (Business Management and Psychology) and Adina Badea (International Business Management)
• KOEPFER Engineering GmbH: Jonas Weber (Mechanical Engineering and Mechatronics)
• Rotary Club Hohenkarpfen-Tuttlingen: Melissa Kirsch (Physician Assistant)
• SICK AG: Jens Sauter (Mechatronics and Digital Production), Eva Dreher (Computer Science), and Bastian Kreibich (Mechatronics and Digital Production)
• Testo SE & Co. KGaA: Domenik Zieten (Innovation Engineering) and Florian Katzer (Business Administration and Engineering – Product Engineering)
• TÜV Süd Industrie Service GmbH: Rebecca Emily Löw (Risk, Reliability and Safety Engineering)
• VEGA Grieshaber KG: Torben Hänßgen (Computer Science) and Nikita Masch (Computer Science)